4200 tears up grass when turning?????

[Deere Man]

All I have a 1999 4200 MFWD that has the generation 1 front axle. When I am mowing with my MMM and turn at the end of rows the tractor tears the grass up. It appears as though one wheel turns sharper that the other which I can understand from the design. Has anyone came up with a fix for this such as possibly retrofitting parts to make it work like the second generation axle? Or has anyone come up with any ideas that improve the situation at least? It's about worthless as a mower if you can turn it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[bones1]

Are you in 4 WD?.Mine does that unless I put it in 2 WD.

 

[jdbower]

Are you in 4 WD?.Mine does that unless I put it in 2 WD.

As does my new 2520. In 4WD mode one wheel is spinning at a different rate than the distance it goes when turning. If the outer wheel has traction, the inner wheel spins at the same rate but goes a shorter distance and tears up the lawn. If the inner wheel has traction, the outer wheel doesn't spin enough and gets dragged along - again tearing up the grass. In the real world, traction frequently shifts between the two wheels and BOTH tear up the grass.

It seems like the front "differential" (not sure if the term is correct with the JD eHydro) is always locked whereas the rear can compensate for the different turn radii. I haven't explicitly tried it, but locking the rear differential should produce a similar effect on the rear tires.

If you switch to turf tires this problem may be alleviated as the front wheels may allow for more floating, but then you'd actually NEED the 4WD in a lot more situations. Best answer, turn off the MFWD unless you know you need it.

 

[rockyridgefarm]

It was my understanding that in many ways the generation 1 design was better, except for this. So, turning off the MFWD may be the best answer.

 

[Deere Man]

No I don't run the tractor in 4wd while mowing. The design is such that when you turn the wheels it turns one at a different rate than the other. Deere had a program where you could upgrade to the newer axle and fix the problem but it's $4k, that I can't see spending. I also do have turf tires installed which help but don't fix the problem.

 

[radman1]

deere man
The problem you describe was a common problem on the early 4000 series tractors and occurs in 2 or 4 WD. JD replaced some under warranty but if your tractor is this old, I doubt they will do anything at this time. No fix I know of except replacing axle. That and a few other problems was why I bought a Kubota at that time. Not JD bashing but the "tire scuffing" was a known problem and a design flaw.

 

[rmonio]

My 4600 does that in 4wd if I turn hard at fast speed with alot of implement weight on the tractor. If it is in 2WD, this does not occur. I would think this would be an issue with any tractor in 4WD....

Put it in 2WD and you should be fine.

-Bob

 

[VTtractorguy]

Not to sound ignorant, but would loaded tires have any bearing on this?

 

[JerryG]

It was generally reported by most owners that it didn’t make a difference if it was in 2wd or 4wd, going fast or slow. It happened no matter how you drove or operated the tractors in question. At the time the replacement axles were being installed, if you had a belly mower JD would replace your axle. If you didn’t have a belly mower they didn’t most of the time or rarely did.

 

[rmonio]

Well, mine won't do it unless:
- I have the FEL on and I'm turning tight on a downward slope in 4WD
- I have weight in the FEL and I'm turning tight on the grass in 4WD

Otherwise it won't do it. I have a 2001 4600 and I don't believe there was any work done on the axles as I got it new. I use a RFM, however, but still I'm not suffering from the kind of damage he's describing...

-Bob